Live at Five
Summary: The Centurions become the subject of a series of special news reports by Jenny Rivers, who is an old classmate of Ace's. But neither Jenny nor the Centurions know that it's a setup; her boss Carl Maddox is in cahoots with Doc Terror to discredit the Centurions. The team gets caught up in disasters around New York, and Jenny catches it all on tape. The public begins to believe the Centurions are stealing taxpayer dollars. Ace brings Jenny to Centrum to show her the truth, but before she can report it she is kidnapped by Hacker. The Centurions have to save Jenny and redeem their reputation before the Council disbands them. Science Lesson: "Nuclear Fusion" (A.K.A. "Fusion") by Ace. Synopsis As the sun rises above the Earth in space, Doc Terror, Hacker and a Strafer are heading to a nearby space station. Terror is planning to take over the Solar Mirror to create a powerful weapon capable of defeating the Centurions. Suddenly, Ace McCloud is heading towards them with the Orbital Interceptor and engages them in combat, destroying the Strafer with the Multiparticle Missile. Hacker suggests Terror to retreat but Terror refuses to leave and attacks Ace, but he is shot down by Ace's laser weaponry, after regaining control of his Strafer unit, Terror orders Hacker to retreat. On Earth, the morning comes to Maddox Agency, where Carl Maddox tells Jenny Rivers that he thinks Doc Terror is not a threat to the world as the Centurions wants to make people believe. In his investigation report, the Centurions are wasting millions of taxpayer dollars and asks Jenny if she wants to work with him. Jenny agrees to work with Maddox, who gives her a briefcase with the material required to make a series of reports to "reveal the truth" about the Centurions and it could be the great change for Jenny's career as a reporter. Jenny promises to not let him down, Maddox knows she won't do it. Once Jenny's out of Maddox's office, Maddox contacts Doc Terror, telling him she took the bait. Terror asks him if the plan would work and he tells Terror to trust him since Jenny is an ambitious reporter. She studied in the Hadelmann Academy with Ace McCloud, that fact will give veracity to the report. Terror tells Maddox that as soon as he destroys the Centurions, the sooner will take the Solar Mirror. In Little Tokyo, Ace and Jenny are dining and she tells Ace he want's to know more about the Centurions and wants to make a special program about them. With a hidden tape recorder, Jenny begins her interview and asks Ace about how expensive must be to keep the pace of the Centurions. Ace tells her it should be, but its for a good cause. In Centrum, Ace along with Jake Rockwell and Max Ray are watching the news on TV about the completion of the Solar Mirror, once its placed it will be an additional source of energy. Then the reporter announces a preview of Jenny's report about the Centurions. Jenny asks the audience if people really needs that "useless organization". The World Council of Scientists created the Centurions to protect the world from criminals, specially Doc Terror. Jenny claims to have proof that the Centurions had exaggerated those acts and they've used millions of dollars for their personal interests. During the following days, she will reveal more information. Upset, Jake turns off the TV claiming that Jenny is making the Centurions look like criminals. Max says that he wants to see the Council's reaction after hearing that, but the alarm wails and Jake tells him "They've heard them" and Ace says to himself that trouble has begun. In the streets of New York in a rainy day, Ace talks with Jenny on the telephone, telling her she made him look like a fool. Jenny ignores of what is he talking about since she exposed the facts. Jenny cuts off the call before Ace can respond. Ace tries to stop the Jenny, but its too late. The call was over and operator has charged $14.77 to Ace's personal account. As he leaves the phone booth, Ace asks to himself why Jenny did that, but he's interrupted by a call on his Communicator Watch. It's from Skyvault, Crystal Kane informs him that Doc Terror and his squadron is attacking the Vector 7 Hydroelectric Plant and both Max and Jake are needing him immediately, and asks him if he is wearing his Exoframe. Ace tells her he's wearing and jokes about taking his raincoat off saying he's in a quite wet place to get undressed. Crystal tells him to get ready to receive the Sky Knight in five seconds, as he takes his raincoat off and asking a couple to take care of it until he's back of capturing robots, he's beamed to the plant. Unaware to Crystal and Ace, the couple is already believeing that the Centurions are thieves. In the Vector 7 Hydroelectric Plant, while a group of people is looking at them on the ground and on a ferry, Ace asks Max and Jake if they can hear him, telling him they're not deaf, a Wild Weasel equipped Jake says he can hear him, and there's nothing in the area. Below the waters, a Tidal Blast equipped Max also reports Ace there's nothing detected and it should be a false alarm. Ace doesn't like the situation. In a cave hidden in the waterfall, Terror and Hacker are preparing a laser cannon to ambush the Centurions. Firing at Ace, the Centurion tells Max that the point of origin of the attacks is in the waterfall. Meanwhile, Ace fires the Sky Knight's missiles to the waterfall, but Doc Terror activates the automatic indicator located on a ferry. Terror is planning to blame Ace for the boat's destruction and the missiles are on the way to their target. Ace manages to destroy one of them while the other hits the water, changing the ship's path. Now heading towards the waterfall, Ace tells Max he must stop it before the waterfall sinks it. Unaware to them, Jenny Rivers is recording the action in a helicopter saying what should happen before the world realize they've underestimated their utility. Max uses the hook to move the boat away from the waterfall, saving it. Back in Centrum. Ace discuss about the situation and the news report. They didn't saw Doc Terror on the waterfalls and they're putting the blame on the Centurions. Jake says Jenny is making the Centurions look like an incompetent trio while Max calms him down realizing it wasn't Ace's fault. Ace decides to "take command" and solve the problem since he's the one who started it (when he accepted Jenny's interview). Back at Maddox Agency, in the Editing Bay #3, Ace meets Jenny and takes her to his hover car. As he drives through dark alleys, Jenny asks him what is he doing, he replies saying if she wants a news report, she will get one. As they reach what is seems to look like a dead end (and an imminent crash), Ace activates the secret gate's switch, and they land on a hidden parking lot. Ace gives her a jacket similar to the one used by Crystal in Skyvault while he changes his clothes, putting his Exoframe, Ace calls Centrum's computer and both are beamed to Centrum. Jenny asks Ace how long is her tour going to take and he says as long as she learns the truth about the Centurions. Asking her if she wanted to know on what they spend all the money, he shows her on what the money is used: Underwater Training, Weapon System Maintenance and Repairs, Overall Communications, Surveillance and Pursuit, Development and Testing of Weapon Systems. Jenny tells Ace all of that is very expensive to maintain, and is also unnecessary. Ace is now going to show her how "unnecessary" it is. In the File Room, Ace shows many files to Jenny, Although Doc Terror and Hacker's profile are also in the File Room of Maddox Agency, there's things that they don't have such as Strafer attacks on a facility. Meanwhile at Maddox's office, Carl Maddox talks with Terror about Jenny's abduction by Ace. Back in Centrum, Jenny is watching more and more files about Doc Terror's attacks. Asking Ace where he did got all that from, Ace tells her throughout the years they've gathered information about Doc Terror and his team. Jenny recognizes that she didn't know Doc Terror was behind all those catastrophes and they don't have nothing of those in Maddox's files. Ace thinks there must be a good explanation for that. Jenny asks him what is he thinking, and he replies saying that he thinks Carl Maddox has a great interest on seeing the Centurions ruined. Jenny says that's ridiculous, and Ace asks her why there's nothing of that information on the Maddox Agency, Jenny doesn't know why. The alarm wails and Crystal communicates with Ace telling him there's trouble, he will be in the Teleporter in two minutes. Jenny wants to go with him, but Ace tells her she can't, also he doesn't want her to get injured and a security officer will take her out of Centrum. Jenny tells him she will show him there's no way to stop a news reporter. Ace is beamed outside of Centrum, along with Jake and Max. Once again, there's no problems to deal with. Max believes it might be another of Doc Terror's tricks and Jake looks at the United Science Laboratories building. Ace thinks it might be a good target for Doc Terror. While Max and Jake inspect the building from the ground, Ace will do that from above by using the Sky Knight. Meanwhile in Dominion, Terror asks Hacker if they're ready and he informs that the Strafers and himself (in a Hacker-Strafer combination) are ready and equipped with a cloacking mechanism. The Centurions will never know what hit them. Ace lands on the roof of the USL building where he's suddenly attacked by laser beams that came out of nowhere. The cloacked Strafers and Hacker are attacking him on a nearby building under construction. Meanwhile, Max and Jake are leaving the building and they are equipped with the Cruiser and the Hornet. While they're being equipped, Ace is dealing with a homing missile behind him. Jake shoots down the missile, saving Ace. But the explosion caused by the missile damages the building, causing two workers to fall, who are saved in time by the Centurions. Unfortunately, the building under construction is destroyed completely, ruining the Centurions reputation even more. Back in Centrum, the Council has fired the Centurions from their charges. Ace leaves the room and Max asks him where is he going. Ace only says he's going to find Jenny Rivers. That night, Jenny takes a taxi towards Maddox Agency, however, the driver is not an ordinary driver. Jenny recognizes the driver's bald head and for her bad luck, it's Hacker, who has abducted Jenny. Enraged for being unable to break the glass between her and Hacker, Jenny tosses her purse and her personal phone falls out of it. Meanwhile, Ace tries to contact Jenny but there's no response. Ace says that's strange since a good reporter wouldn't stay way from the phone. In Maddox Agency, Carl Maddox asks why Doc Terror and Hacker had to abduct Jenny, and he answers he did it because he can't allow her to ruin his plan to discredit the Centurions. Maddox is concerned because Jenny has to appear in television in 1 hour and Terror tells him she will appear and she will give the news about Doc Terror's biggest triumph. Now he will be able to take the Solar Mirror and create the best weapon known by man. Not even the Centurions would stop him. Outside of the building, Ace tries to enter, but the guards have orders to not allow entrance to anybody. He needs to find a way to get in...or even get up there using the ladder. After climbing, Ace rescues Jenny, who realizes the truth about Doc Terror and tells Ace that Terror is planning to take over the Solar Mirror to create a weapon with it. Ace heads to the rooftop and requests Crystal to equip him with the Orbital Interceptor combined with the Skybolt and heads to space. In Space, Doc Terror's ship is attacking the Solar Mirror, where is about to take it over, until Ace arrives and shoots down the Strafers. Realizing they're ran out of Strafer units, Terror attacks Ace with the ship's laser artillery, Ace uses the Skybolt's cloacking mechanism to escape the attack without being seen. Believeing that he killed Ace, Terror claims that his aiming was perfect until Hacker tells him he's behind the ship. After taking a hit from the Multiparticle Missile, Terror retreats to Dominion, Ace has saved the Solar Mirror and jokes about Terror's retreat saying it's common for Doc Terror to leave a party before it ends. Back on New York, Jenny revokes all the declarations about the Centurions during her days working at Maddox. In the last 24 hours she learned the truth about the Centurions and everything they represent. Without any doubts, they're the only balwark of justice this world have. Ace walks away with a smile as the people cheers both Jenny's report and the Centurions. Their reputation was redeemed and people trust them again. Science Lesson Landing on a nearby nuclear plant with the Orbital Interceptor equipped, Ace tells viewers when we realized that oil and coal reserves were scarce we began to use nuclear energy to generate electricity. As he follows a truck with water-filled barrels, he explains that the process has its disadvantages. The reactor utilizes barrels of water to cool it because it works for long time. Thus, scientists are working on a process called "Fusion" which works on the same way as the Sun. In Earth Orbit, Ace explains that fusion occurs when two atoms join to create a larger one releasing a huge amount of energy. This makes the Sun hot. Walking on the beach, Ace explains that fusion only requires hydrogen as fuel and its the most abundant element that we have. Is part of the water and air. Ace finishes the lesson telling viewers to imagine that we could be using water to illuminate our cities, and instead of smoke, the waste product will be oxygen to breath. Curiosities * First appearances of Jenny Rivers and Carl Maddox. * This is the only episode where Carl Maddox makes an appearance. Superhuman Centurions * Ace can take a jump high enough to asume the X pose and shout "Power Xtreme!" in midair prior to his Sky Knight equipping. Foreign names *'Mala Información' (Bad Information / Wrong Information) - Spanish dub. Category:Centurions Episodes